


Devil May Care

by grrriliketigers



Series: Devil May Care [1]
Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-03
Updated: 2013-04-02
Packaged: 2017-12-07 08:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/746266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grrriliketigers/pseuds/grrriliketigers





	1. Chapter 1

_London, England, 1969._

_Miriam Celia Princhek lay on her back in a dark alley. She blinked a few times trying to get a grip on where she was and why.Failing to come up with any acceptable or believable conclusions she pushed herself up into a sitting position pushing against the cool wet ground._

_She saw the faces and recoiled.She was surrounded in the dark alley by nearly twenty figures, bending to watch her. The faces could be recognized as many of her dearly departed family members and her first conclusion was that she was dead. However, the figures seemed just as shocked to be looking into her face as she into theirs._

_Her paternal grandmother knelt down next to her, reaching up to touch her hair but the fingers moved through Miriam like smoke. Miriam shivered. "Du sehst uns?" She whispered._

_Miriam nodded nervously, "ja. I see you." Miriam looked around at the other figures: some were emaciated and pallid who undoubtedly had met their unfortunate ends in a concentration camp. "Oma, where am I?" She looked back to her grandmother._

_"You're in the White Chapel district."_

_Miriam's heart started to race and her head began to spin, her stomach growled, "so I'm not dead."_

_"Nein, Miriam."_

_"How did I get here, Oma?" Miriam got to her feet, she felt weak, she wavered but stayed upright._

_Her grandmother shook her head, "I don't know. We were drawn to you this evening, we've been here watching over you, it was already dark when we got here. I thought we were here to welcome you to the afterlife. But instead you opened your eyes. It's a miracle. God preserved you."_

_"If I'm not dead why can I see you?" Miriam bit her lip, looking at all her relatives._

_"You've been touched, Miriam. God has touched you and given you this divine ability."_

_"I..." Miriam looked around, "I have to get home... mum and dad must be worried about me..." She looked around at all her relatives again before taking off running. She spotted a police officer and ran up to him, "can you help-" she reached out to grab his shirt sleeve but she stumbled through him._

_She shivered, staring at him in horror._

_"You can see me?" The policeman demanded._

_"No!" Miriam shouted, taking off again, being persued by the ghost officer and several other ghosts that had been near them. Finally Miriam ran straight into a living police man and fell backwards from the force of the collision._

_"Are you alright?" He leaned over, offering her his hand, "what are you doing out so late?"_

_"I need help," she grabbed his hand, clutching to his tangibility, her heart pounding in her chest as fast as she had ever felt. "Please, help me. I need to get home. I want to go home."_

_"God in heaven!" The officer watched her face with surprise, "you're Miriam Princhek, aren't you?"_

_"...yes..."_

_"You've been missing for two weeks. You were presumed dead. What happened to you?" He couldn't resist reaching out and touching her hair, startled by its blanched state._

_"I... I... I don't know... I just... I just woke up in an alley." Miriam shook violently and slowly reached up to her hair, bringing a handful of it into her line of vision. Upon seeing its --lack of-- color she screamed at the top of her lungs._

New York, NY, United States, 2007.

Miranda sat behind her desk reading over her schedule for the day. She crossed out a few meetings and moved a runthrough up by three hours. She glanced into the outer office. She'd promoted Emily to junior fashion editor. She was beginning to think it was a mistake, not because Emily wasn't doing a good job but because none of the assistant replacements that had been sent to her were working out. 

No Emily. No Andrea.

There was no one left who really understood her. There was no one left who cared about what she was feeling or what she needed. Miranda was all alone in a city of over eight million people. She sighed. 

"Andy?" Someone yelled in the distance. "Andy Sachs!"

Miranda's ears pricked up. She hadn't heard the name said out loud since the week after Paris. She hadn't laid eyes on the girl since two weeks after Paris and now someone in her own office was shouting the name. 

Miranda kept her eyes glued to the schedule though she was listening to the voice. She didn't recognize it. She couldn't deny that her curiousity was piqued. 

The voice got closer, still calling out for Andy. Miranda's eyes stayed rooted to the paper in front of her, trying to quell her anger at the intrusion into her solitude. Finally, the shouting person stood between the two assistants' desks, yelling again. 

Miranda pursed her lips, looked up and glared. 

The look that overtook the woman's features was shock, confusion and revelation. Miranda recognized that look, she knew it well. "Fuck." She whispered under her breath, looking back down to the schedule, hoping she would go away. 

The woman now stood in front of Miranda's desk. "You can see me, can't you?" 

Miranda didn't respond, just picked up her pen and started to make notes. 

"Hey!" The ghost was angry now, "I know you can see me! You looked up at me when I yelled my daughter's name! My name is Josephine Sachs! Look at me, damnit!"

Miranda faltered. The beligerant ghost who was attempting to piss her off into looking up was Andrea's mother? " _Look at me!_!" She screamed, falling into Miranda.

Miranda shivered violently, jumping up and going out into the outer office. Her new first assistant, Tia, looked up at her expectantly. "I'm going home, cancel everything for today."

"But.." she stammered, wide-eyed. 

"That's all." Miranda hissed. 

Once in the elevator Miranda pushed her fingers into her ears until it hurt, trying to block out the dead angry mother. Once in the car, Miranda wasn't surprised that she followed. "You have to help me." 

Miranda put up the privacy screen. "I don't have to help you." She whispered. 

"So, you're talking to me now? That was a really shitty job of pretending you couldn't hear me. The fingers in the ear thing was a dead giveaway." 

Miranda glared at the ghost. 

Josephine laughed, "no pun intended?" 

"At least you have a sense of humor..." Miranda rolled her eyes. "I don't have to help you, I don't have any obligation to you. Something bad happened to you -- obviously -- but it is neither my fault nor my concern." 

"You have an obligation to _her_." 

Miranda furrowed her brow and turned to the ghost, "to _who_?"

"To Andy!" 

"I have no obligation to Andrea either! She walked away from _me_!" Miranda's voice faltered and she watched Josephine angrily. 

"I see that I struck a nerve..." Josephine grinned triumphantly. 

" _Go away_." Miranda gritted out through clenched teeth.

Josephine snickered and disappeared. Miranda let out a frustrated sigh. She put the privacy screen back down and caught Roy's eye in the mirror. "Are you alright, Ms. Priestly?"

"I have been better, Roy." Miranda admitted, rubbing her eyes. 

"Would you like me to pick anything up for you?" He asked. 

Miranda smiled a little. "No... I just need to get home and hug my daughters." Miranda was happy to take solace in the fact that Roy seemed to genuinely care for her and she was about to return to her daughters and maybe she would feel a return to normalcy.

What was normal for Miranda was not normal for anyone else. Not just because she had more money than God or because she was a hugely influential figure in the fashion business. It was also because she was missing for three weeks when she was thirteen, spontaneously lost all the melanin in her hair follicles and could see and hear dead people. 

Miranda Priestly had no chance for actual normalcy. But that didn't mean that she wasn't going to try her damnedest to get as close as she possibly could. 

When they got to the townhouse Miranda got out and let herself in. The girls' nanny, Denise, came in from the sitting room, "Miranda," she said in surprise. 

"Hi, Denise." Miranda put her purse in the closet, "you can go home. I've taken the day off." The girls were smack dab in the middle of their summer vacation and Miranda was very grateful of that fact.

"Oh," Denise smiled, "they'll be thrilled. I hope you have a great day, Miranda, just let me say goodbye to the girls." 

Denise stuck her head back into the room, "hey kiddos, I'm off. There's a surprise here for you." Denise smiled and winked, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"A surprise?" Caroline grinned, jumping up and running out with her sister to the foyer. "Mom!" They shouted simultaneously and ran to hug Miranda. 

"Hello my little monsters." Miranda wrapped her arms around them and kissed their foreheads. Denise slipped out of the townhouse, leaving the happy family to themselves. 

**

Miranda walked into the sitting room with a big bowl of popcorn. The girls had already put the Hairspray DVD in and John Travolta in drag was walking across the screen. 

"Mom, you missed the opening number!" Cassidy groused, grabbing a handful of popcorn. 

"Sweetie, I saw it on Broadway." Miranda settled onto the couch between the girls. "Twice." 

"Was it awesome?" Caroline shoved popcorn into her mouth. 

"It was _so_ awesome." Miranda smiled, unable to help the warmth that overtook her from sharing time with her children. 

"Imagine," a voice whispered from behind her, Miranda jumped, "what would you do if something happened to you? Wouldn't you want someone to tell them?" 

Miranda gritted her teeth, having difficulty hearing the movie over Josephine. She was grateful that the girls didn't seem to notice anything amiss. Josephine appeared in front of the screen, effectively blocking Miranda's view. Miranda sighed. 

"You okay, mom?" Caroline looked up with concern. 

"I'm fine, sweetie," Miranda glanced at Josephine out of the corner of her eye. "I think I may have left the stove on. I'm going to go check." 

"Do you want me to pause it?" Cassidy asked, picking up the remote. 

"No, no." Miranda shook her head, "it's okay, I'll be right back. And don't eat all the popcorn." She gave each of them a tickle, they giggled and wiggled and promised they wouldn't. 

Josephine followed her into the kitchen. "For Christ's sake, Josephine!" Miranda whispered, "I just want to spend the day with my daughters." 

"How do you think I feel?" Josephine demanded. 

"Look..." Miranda sighed, "I don't have a lot of time with them while they're still young and innocent. They're going to be teenagers _next year_ and I'll lose them to boys and rock and roll and cars. Just let me have this time with them." 

Josephine looked sad and pensive for a minute. "I know how you feel," she nodded, "I didn't spend enough time with Andy before she went off to college. I just always thought she'd come back, I thought she'd live at home with us for a couple of years while she repaid some loans and got her foot in the door. I spent her whole childhood waiting for her to grow up so I could relate to her..." 

"She's a wonderful person, you should be proud." Miranda said sincerely. 

"You know how the rest of the story goes, don't you?" Josephine asked.

Miranda shrugged, "more or less." 

"She was so in love with her boyfriend. He was a year older than her and he moved out here first and she moved with him. Then there was you and the job and... I lost her. I lost my chance." 

"I'm sure she knows that you loved her." Miranda sighed, "but you're dead, Josephine, there's nothing you can do now, except trust that Andrea is smart and talented enough to have a great life. You need to move on to the next plane." 

"Do you know what's on the next plane?"

Miranda shook her head, "no, I don't, but I think I was there once." She admitted. "If I'm right, I can promise you that it's peaceful and it's timeless. Don't you see a light?" 

"I'm not ready to move on. No one's found me yet." Josephine insisted, "you have to find me. You have to find my body."

Miranda scoffed, "you're out of your mind! What do you want me to do? Call up hubby in Ohio 'oh hello, I'm your daughter's ex-employer and your wife is dead, collapsed behind the washer and dryer.' That'll go over real big..."

"You have to help me." 

"No, I _don't_. Now, excuse me, my daughters are going to be wondering where I am." Miranda turned to leave.

Josephine appeared in the doorway, Miranda glared. Josephine leaned toward her, "if you don't do this for me," she whispered menacingly, "I'm going to give every ghost I see your home address and tell them that you can see us. Help me... for a week, and you can go back to your life. Don't help me and never know a moment's peace _ever again_." 

Miranda glared, knowing that there was nothing she could threaten Josephine with. She had no leverage with the dead, and that was the most frustrating thing she could imagine in the world. Finally, Miranda sighed heavily. "Tomorrow. Can you give me that? Can I spend today with my girls? As a mother, can you give me that?" 

Josephine considered this for a moment. "Sure, not like I'm going anywhere, is it?" Josephine disappeared.

Miranda lingered for a few minutes before deciding that she really was gone and went back into the sitting room in time to hear Michelle Pfeiffer singing Miss Baltimore Crabs.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Miranda was asleep in her bed, cuddled up with her comforter. Josephine looked over at the bedside table at Miranda's alarm clock and wondered just how long she was planning on sleeping. 

"Hey, sleeping beauty!" Josephine barked, "come on. Wake up." 

Miranda didn't even stir. 

"Oh great, a heavy sleeper. Did you even set your alarm?" Josephine moved closer to it and saw that it was indeed _off_. "Time is of the essence here! If you want to get to my body before I'm completely rotten, I suggest you _get up_." 

Josephine reached down to shake Miranda and her hand went through her. "Damn, I forgot." Miranda shivered and pulled the comforter tighter. Josephine grinned, she had an idea. She climbed into the bed and covered Miranda's body with her own. 

Miranda shivered violently, feeling clammy and sick until finally she gasped, her eyes snapping open and jolting into an upright position. Josephine appeared in front of her and Miranda screamed. "You have no talent for subtelty!" Miranda held a hand over her heart, "are you trying to kill me?" 

"Well, _that_ would be stupid, wouldn't it?" Josephine put a hand on her hip defiantly. 

Miranda rubbed her eyes. "God." 

"You didn't even set your alarm clock." Josephine whined, "you think I've got all day?"

"I think you have all _eternity_." Miranda rolled her eyes, getting out of bed and going to her closet, "and it's Saturday, that's why I didn't set my alarm clock. What time is it?" She picked up her Valentino watch from the dresser. "Oh, not a chance in hell. I'm going back to bed." 

"Hey! No!" Josephine cried as Miranda climbed back into the warmth and comfort of her bed, her Egyptian cotton sheets welcoming her back. 

"It's 5:30, Josephine. The living need to sleep. Leave me alone." 

"You said you'd help me today." 

"For all intents and purposes, today starts at nine." Miranda put the pillow over her head. 

"It's late June, Miranda," Josephine yelled, wanting to make damn sure that she could hear her through the pillow. "I'm going to decompose! Get up!" 

Miranda threw the pillow aside in frustration, "my ex doesn't pick the girls up until nine. My nanny is leaving on a trip today and my assistants need a day off as badly as I do." 

"You better not be rescinding on your promise, Miranda." Josephine scowled. 

"I'm not." Miranda sighed, "nine o'clock, I'm all yours." 

Josephine let out a frustrated groan but said, "fine." And disappeared. 

Miranda rolled over and drifted back into a fitful sleep, but sleep nonetheless. At eight Miranda was awoken by two giggly girls jumping onto the bed with her. Miranda smiled and hugged her daughters as they snuggled against her. 

Josephine stood at the end of the bed watching with a sigh. 

"How about a breakfast of waffles and fresh fruit before your dad comes and gets you? How does that sound?" 

"Great!" The girls exclaimed, jumping up and heading for the kitchen. 

**

At nine Miranda was on the stoop of her townhouse waving to her daughters as her ex-husband's car pulled away from the curb. To the naked eye she stood alone but Miranda was painfully aware that Josephine was hovering over her impatiently. 

"Okay, let's go." Josephine said starting down the stairs. 

"Go where? Ohio?" Miranda demanded. 

"No, why would I end up here if I was dead in Ohio? Do people pay you to think?" 

Miranda shook her head, trying to remain calm, "I'm going to ignore that... because you're dead and --obviously-- more than a little irritated about it..."

"Don't condescend to me." 

"I'm not!" Miranda insisted, "you just have to bear with me, I have earthly limitations and I need to cover my own ass so it doesn't look like I have anything to do with your death, okay?" Josephine was quiet, "all right. So, if you're not in Ohio, where are you?" 

"Central park." 

"Okay." Miranda turned to go back inside. 

"Now what?" 

"I need to change my shoes. No one is going to believe that I went traipsing about through Central Park in a pair of Louboutin pumps." 

"Did it ever occur to you that you live excessively?" 

"Did it ever occur to you that you shouldn't judge other people?" Miranda started up the stairs, Josephine appeared at the top of them.

"I'm not saying I lived a perfect life..." 

"Of course you didn't." Miranda scoffed, "if you did you would have told someone you were coming to New York. Your husband... your daughter... who _lives_ here." 

"I told my husband that I was going to my mother's for a week. I knew that he wouldn't try to call me there because they don't get along. I didn't tell Andy because... because I wasn't intending to go see her." 

"Dying changes everything, hm?"

"Something like that." Josephine nodded. 

**

"The park is the other way." Josephine whined as Miranda turned her Porsche away from the park. 

Miranda sighed, "oh ye of little faith. I'm picking up my dog, she's at obedience training... again. It'll just be a lot more plausible if I have a believable reason for being in the park. People don't expect me to just _be_ in the park. That is not something that I would do." 

"For someone who wants to be left alone, you certainly chose a life path that has led you directly into the public eye." 

"I know," Miranda sighed, launching into a speech that she felt like she'd given a thousand times, "my life has been one fraught with contradictions and incongruities." 

Josephine snorted. 

"Are you sure no one has found you yet? Are you sure I can't just go home?" 

"I checked before you sent the twins away." Josephine insisted. 

"I did not _send them away_." Miranda scowled. "Are you sure you're going to be able to lead me to your body? I mean, this isn't going to take me all day, is it?" 

"I know where I am..." Josephine said but with little conviction. 

"Great," Miranda mumbled to herself, "I'm being sent off on a wild ghost chase." 

"You mean wild _goose_ chase."

"No, I don't." Miranda shook her head. 

"If you're going to be a jerk about it, I'll meet you at the park." Josephine scowled and disappeared, leaving Miranda with peace and quiet. 

**

Patricia, in all her 200-pound, drooling glory, stood next to Miranda at the entrance of the park. Patricia circled Miranda a few times. "Patrice, arrete." Miranda snapped. Patricia looked up at Miranda and quirked her head. 

"I love you, you big drooling mutt, but we have a job to do today." Miranda pulled a tennis ball out of her pocket, "but don't worry, we'll make it a fun job."

Patricia's ears perked up at the sight of the ball, sitting immediately to prove to Miranda that she was deserving of the tennis ball. 

"We just need to wait for our tour guide." Miranda checked her watch and rolled her eyes. She saw Josephine appear further down the path. "Showtime," Miranda put her bluetooth headset in her ear.

"Oh nice," Josephine rolled her eyes. "Taking a call?"

"Calm down. I can't just walk through the park talking to myself, can I?" Miranda bounced the ball once and Patricia jumped up but sat again when Miranda caught it. "Okay, where are you?" 

"This way." Josephine started down the path.

"Allons-y, Patrice," Miranda clicked her tongue and Patricia followed her, keeping her eye on the ball in Miranda's hand. 

"Okay, I entered the park and I went..." Josephine looked around. "Well, I was trying to get to Amsterdam Avenue, which way would I go for that?" 

"Well, assuming you were going in the right direction, you'd go west from here." Miranda pointed down one of the forks in the trail. 

"Okay, yeah, that looks familiar. Let's go this way." Josephine started in that direction, Miranda threw the ball through Josephine's head and down the path and Patricia darted after it enthusiastically. Josephine turned and scowled. 

"What can I say? I'm a lousy pitch." Miranda said innocently. 

"Or you're an extremely good pitch." Josephine narrowed her eyes at Miranda, but didn't desire to make the situation any more unpleasant than it had to be. "If she's in obedience training how do you know she'll come back?"

"She'll come back." Miranda stuffed her hands in her pocket. "She lives for fetch, she'll come back." 

No sooner had Miranda offered her assurances than Patricia came bounding back. Miranda pulled a rubber glove from her pocket and put it on her hand. Patricia dropped the ball at Miranda's feet and she leaned down and picked it up. 

"Does this look familiar?" Miranda asked as she watched Josephine looking around with uncertainty.

"It does and it doesn't..." 

"You've seen your body, how can you be this uncertain if you know where you are?" Miranda bounced the ball, Patricia leapt at it but missed. 

"Okay, well, it's weird because I can disappear and reappear in places that I can call up. Like my body and I'm there. Like you and I'm there. It's not like ghost gps." 

"How did you find Runway, then?" Miranda was puzzled. 

Josephine looked at Miranda like it was the first time she'd considered that. She herself knew that Andy hadn't worked there for almost a year and yet she had been brought right to Runway. The women stared at each other and then off into space and, ultimately, neither of them had an answer. 

"Maybe it has a lot of Andrea's residual energy." Miranda offered, "but I can't imagine why it would have more than Andrea herself." 

Josephine let out an excited squeal, "this way! I remember this tree, it had initials carved in it," Josephine approached the tree, "I remember thinking it was really sweet. AS+MP." 

Miranda furrowed her brow and tried not to think about the initials. It had to have been a coincidence. Josephine definitely didn't seem to think anything of it because she just went on about how right she was about the direction. "We have to be close." 

"Why don't you pop to your body and let me know what's around you? I might know where you are." 

"Alright," Josephine shrugged, unconvinced at the helpfulness, "it's just bushes and stuff, it's off the beaten path which is why no one has found me." 

"Humor me." Miranda insisted. Josephine disappeared. Miranda threw the ball for Patricia again. Miranda watched Patricia's furry white butt fade into the distance as she chased the bright green ball through a shrubbery. 

Josephine popped back, "I'm still there and I can't really tell you anything more." 

"Do you have any idea how big this park is? If you walked in on one side to get to the other... do you have any idea how much ground that is to cover?" Miranda whined. "I had plans to soak in a hot bath today."

"I'm really sad for you." Josephine said flatly, "I had plans for the rest of my life!" 

"That is not my fault. I didn't kill you." Miranda stopped to think, "how _did_ you die? Not to get personal, but you don't have any obvious wounds." 

"I'm allergic to bees. I got stung." Josephine paused to consider, "it's weird, I don't remember right before I died. The last thing I remember really clearly is the tree with the initials. I carry an epi-pen with me everywhere... why didn't I use it?" 

"Okay," Miranda heaved a heavy sigh. "New plan. Why don't you go to your body and yell really loudly. Yell my name so I'm sure it's you. I'll follow your voice. Maybe come back after you yell to see if I heard you... if I didn't, we'll keep walking until I can hear you." 

Josephine nodded, "that could work." Josephine disappeared. 

"This is ridiculous." Miranda muttered, throwing the ball for Patricia. Miranda had spent most of her teenaged years learning how to ignore ghosts. It ultimately meant she had to ignore everyone, which she didn't really feel was any big loss. She was never really that in to people anyway, she was one of five kids and she just liked to be left alone. Silence is golden and less is more when it comes to explanations. 

Josephine appeared in front of Miranda, making her jump back a little. "Did you hear me?" Josephine asked. 

Miranda frowned and shook her head. After an hour and a half of other-worldly Marco Polo, Miranda finally heard Josephine's voice. She threw Patricia's ball in the direction of Josephine's voice. Miranda broke into a jog to reach the body before Josephine popped back. 

"Josephine?" Miranda whispered at the edge of a bush, not wanting to go bursting through a bush if it was the wrong one, the whole affair was undignified enough already. 

"Yeah?" She answered. 

"Okay, I'll be right there." Miranda sighed. Patricia sat at Miranda's side with the ball in her mouth. Miranda leaned down and took the ball from her mouth, "allons-y, Patrice." She tossed the ball over the bushes and Patricia launched into the bushes. 

Patricia's overzealous breakthrough had made the climb through easier for Miranda. 

"Watch where you're throwing that ball." Josephine scolded, "you almost hit me." 

Miranda's arm shot up immediately to cover her mouth and nose, "oh my god, Josephine!" The Central Park rats had already found her and had begun to nibble around the edges. Miranda's stomach lurched, "I think I'm going to be sick..." 

"Okay, here's the other thing that I didn't mention earlier..." Josephine started and Miranda looked up at her with pure ire. "I have a folded up piece of computer paper in my pocket and I need you to get it out for me." 

" _Absolutely not_." Miranda stared at Josephine with incredulity. 

"Hey, you already have the rubber glove," she motioned to the slimy ball throwing glove on Miranda's right hand. 

"I've managed to go fifty one years without touching a dead body and why break that record now?" Miranda was completely avoiding looking at the body now. 

"Please, Miranda. I came to the city to find a divorce lawyer. My family doesn't know yet and now that I'm dead I don't want to put them through that. Now they'll think I was coming out to see Andy." 

"But you weren't." Miranda scowled, "I don't know if I can participate in that deception."

"Are you _serious_?" It was Josephine's turned to be stunned. 

"People are who they are. You were a secretive, stand-offish mother who isn't going to let death stop her from lying through her teeth." 

"And I suppose you've always been perfectly honest all the time." 

Miranda scoffed, "of course not, I'm a secretive, isolated person and I wouldn't try to conceal that in death." 

"You're also a good mother." Josephine said gently, "can't I appeal to your maternal instincts? Would you want your daughters' last memory of you to be that you're divorcing their father after thirty years of marriage and you weren't even going to visit them?" 

"You're barking up the wrong tree. I divorced the twins' father when they were three. They don't even have any memory of us together. Until they hit second grade they didn't even realize that any one had a stable nuclear family." 

"I want Andy to remember me as the mother who loved her not the mother who kept secrets from her. That's who I am too. I've always been the mother who loved her. And for my husband, I was a wife who loved him, it's not a lie, it's just a chance to take back the last couple of days. Please. Isn't there anyone you'd want to protect? Someone you'd like to remind that you love them?" 

Miranda sighed heavily. "If I throw up..." She leaned down and -- with her eyes squeezed tightly shut -- extricated the folded up paper from Josephine's pocket. 

Miranda stumbled away, trying to keep down her waffle and strawberry compote. Miranda stumbled to the trash and dropped it in, trying not to gag. She pulled off her glove and tossed it into the trash too. 

"Are you through?" Josephine asked with impatience. 

"Yes. I am." Miranda pulled out her cell phone, punching in 911, "I just found a body in Central Park... I'm about ten yards through the Stone Arch, she's in the bushes... My name is Miranda Priestly."

"There, they're on their way." Miranda put her phone in her pocket. 

"Here's the other thing." Josephine started, Miranda turned to give her a piece of her mind and Josephine sped up, "I got mugged so I don't have any id. You need to id me."


	3. Chapter 3

"I agreed to find you, I didn't sign on for anything else." Miranda groused. "For heaven's sake, I have never met you. Do you have any idea how suspect that would be? They'll run your dental records and inform Andrea. You won't be a Jane Doe forever, I promise." 

"I need you to do this for me! I don't want to be a Jane Doe at all!" Josephine started getting belligerent. 

"Okay, be quiet. Hold on." Miranda took her wallet out of her purse and started going through it. Finally, she found the slip of paper that had Andy's contact information at the Mirror. When Andy had gotten the job Miranda had Emily get her the contact information for the Mirror so that Miranda could send a recommendation and Emily had misinterpreted the request as Miranda wanting Andy's contact information. She'd kept the information despite herself. 

Miranda stepped closer to the body cautiously and, careful not to actually touch her, Miranda pushed the slip of paper into Josephine's left hand. "Problem solved. Obligation over." 

"No, you have to help me talk to Andy!" 

"Ma'am." A paramedic stepped through the bushes, "I'm going to have to ask you to step back and keep the dog restrained, but stay here, the detectives will want to get a statement from you."

Miranda stepped back out onto the path, Patricia following her closely. She checked her watch and crossed her arms across her chest. "Miranda, this isn't over." Josephine followed her. 

"Shut-up." Miranda whispered, "not talking to you until I'm out of the park." She took the bluetooth out of her ear and shoved it into her pocket. 

Patricia dropped the ball at Miranda's feat and whimpered, nudging Miranda's leg with her nose. Miranda reached down and scratched behind Patricia's ears, "sorry girl, the fuzz told us to stay put and I had to throw out the ball glove." 

"You're ridiculous, a little bit of dog spit never killed anyone." Josephine prodded. 

Miranda steadfastly ignored her. Josephine hung around for a few minutes, yelling at her, before getting bored with being ignored and begging off. A little while later, a smartly dressed detective with striking features and impressively curly hair walked up to Miranda. 

"Hello, I'm Detective Stella Bonasera with the NYPD." She handed Miranda her business card. "I understand you found the body?"

"Yes," Miranda nodded. Stella began to write in her note pad.

"How exactly is it that you came upon the body?" 

"I brought my dog to the park to play fetch." Miranda motioned to Patricia who watched her hand intently, though the dog still had the ball in her mouth. "I threw the ball into the bushes," she indicated the final resting place of Josephine Sachs, Patricia leaping to her feet and retracting in disappointment when Miranda failed to throw anything. "And when she didn't immediately return, I went in after her." 

"And you didn't touch or move the body at all?" 

Miranda considered this question, wanting to make sure her bases were covered if she had left anything on the body. "Yes, I did." Stella's eyebrows shot up in surprise and Miranda continued, "I saw the epi in her hand and I... was in a state of shock and I didn't realize that she was... _dead_ , I got closer to help her and that's when I realized." 

Miranda felt herself pale, thinking about the cold dead skin again and feeling a new wave of nausea. She put her face in her elbow again, "sorry." 

"It's okay. You never really get used to it, you can take a minute if you need to." 

Miranda shook her head, "I'm alright." She paused, "do you know who she is?" 

Stella had been warned by the mayor to be very accomadating to Miranda once word had trickled up to him that it had been she who placed the 911 call. Miranda was famously a repeated patron of New York's finest. Stella quickly ran through everything she knew about protocol. "There's no id." 

"I just feel... like I'd like to pay my respects to the family, since I found her." Miranda bit her lip, hoping that she sounded convincing. 

"Stel," a handsome man motioned to Stella. She excused herself and joined him by the bushes. He held up an evidence bag, "we found this in her hand, it's written on Runway letterhead. We ran the name and the woman on the slip of paper used to work there." 

"What do you think is the cause of death?" 

"It looks like straight up asphyixiation from an allergic reaction. Closed throat and epi-pen, looks pretty straight forward. I'm going to ride back with her and Sid'll confirm or deny." 

"Okay, thanks Sheldon." She took the evidence bag and walked back to Miranda. "Looks like maybe you could be some more help after all, Ms. Priestly."

"Oh?"

"We found this slip of paper in her hand. Does it mean anything to you?" Stella held it up.

Miranda took it from her, "well, it's Runway stationery." She furrowed her brow as she looked it over, "the name... it's _familiar_."

Josephine snorted, "and the oscar goes to..." 

Miranda wanted to turn around and snap that if she didn't like Miranda's methods she could bloody well fuck off, but thought better of the idea. "I think... yes, I think, she was my assistant a couple years ago."

"You _think_ she was your assistant?" Stella couldn't imagine how Miranda could forget a personal assistant. 

"I go through a lot of assistants." Miranda scrolled through her blackberry. "Andrea Sachs, yes, she worked for me last year. What do you think that woman wants with Andrea?" 

Josephine shook her head, "you're pathetic." 

"Hard to say. Did you recognize her at all?" Stella took the evidence bag back, "is it possible that she's another an employee that has slipped your mind?" 

Miranda pursed her lips, "not in those clothes." 

"Very funny." Josephine sneered. 

Stella was trying not to judge the book by its cover, but the foreword was beginning to seem just as shallow and self-centered as the spiffy, expensive book jacket. "Alright." Stella nodded. "I don't think I have any other questions right now. You have my number if you have any questions." 

Miranda nodded curtly. Miranda clicked her tongue and motioned for Patricia to follow her, she trotted after her. 

"That's it?" Josephine demanded. 

Miranda ignored her, knowing that they were still within earshot of the retreating detective. Josephine rolled her eyes and disappeared. Miranda was grateful for the silence that ensued. When she arrived at her car she saw that Josephine was there waiting for her. 

Miranda sighed and put her bluetooth back in. "What?" 

"You're just walking away?" 

"There's nothing that I can do." Miranda said with a sigh, "they don't know who you are yet. They'll take your picture to Andrea and she'll identify you. Tomorrow -- or maybe this evening -- the story will run that I found a dead body in the woods and it turned out to be you. Then I can make a show out of going over there." 

"I don't want her to be alone when she finds out."

"Well, one can only hope that she has a friend over." Miranda let Patricia into the car. The dog looked ridiculous perched on the passenger seat of Miranda's two-seater. 

Miranda pressed down on the clutch pedal, turning the car on and putting it into gear. Josephine was trying to settle in between the dog and the diva on the middle console. Wavering and moving through both of them. 

Miranda tried to swat her away, "stop that," she shook out her hand. "My hand gets really clammy when you do that. If I crash we're both shit out of luck." Miranda felt that she was experiencing such a tremendous departure from herself that she would hazard the vulgarity. 

"I'll just sit in the dog then," Josephine rolled her eyes. 

"Why don't you go to Andrea? Sometimes people can feel the presence. If you don't want her to be alone, go surround her with love." 

Josephine let out a frustrate groan and disappeared. Any hope of her relaxing afternoon was shot to hell when she opened the door to the townhouse and saw Josephine in the foyer. She let Patricia off her leash and sighed heavily. "Am I just wasting my breath?" 

"I... intended to follow your advice. When I concentrated on her it just brought me back to you." Josephine said resignedly, "would you please just go over there?" 

"I don't know where she lives." 

"You have the internet!" Josephine exclaimed, "you have a phone book, you have fucking slaves!" 

"I guess you haven't deduced this yet, but I don't take an interest in people. I throw a party every year and I have my assistants memorize people from a file because I can't be bothered to actually know who anyone is." Miranda snapped, "Andrea and I didn't _hang out_ , we didn't have sleepovers and braid each other's hair and _gossip_." 

"What would you do if you got the news that your mother died?" 

"I already got that news three years ago." Miranda said flatly, "and I went to a budget meeting. Life can't stop just because we're upset. Bad stuff happens all the time, one has to carry on."

Josephine tried to scowl at Miranda but saw that she had teared up a little and found it hard to be mad at her. "Duly noted. But it is a Saturday and if Andy doesn't have anything to keep her busy..." 

Miranda sighed, "fine. Alright." Miranda rubbed her eyes, "can you call yourself to that slip of paper? I will _call_ her." 

"I can do that!" Josephine said excitedly, "back in a jiff!" 

"I can hardly wait." Miranda grumbled sarcastically as Josephine disappeared. 

As the silence in the empty townhouse grew and Miranda was feeling increasingly alone, she allowed her thoughts to wander to Andrea. She was able to call up exactly what she looked like, she could see her from the very first day she walked into her office, the first day she allowed Nigel to dress her, how beautiful she looked at the gala, those big painted red lips quivering as they held back emotion as their car rambled down Paris streets. Most of all she remembered Andrea's retreating form as she walked away from Runway and from Miranda. 

The last thought felt like a knife cutting through Miranda's chest. Miranda closed her eyes and blinked out a tear. She sighed and wiped it away. 

There were very few times when Miranda felt that she wasn't in control of her own destiny. In fact, she could think, honestly, of only two, and both of those times had been wrapped up in a Sachs woman. She couldn't stop Andrea from walking away and she couldn't keep Josephine from coming back. No matter how badly she wanted to. 

Josephine popped back, "212-555-0934!" She exclaimed urgently, "write it down!" 

Miranda furrowed her brow and pulled her phone out of her pocket, "what was it again?" 

Josephine rolled her eyes, "212-5...3.., no, 54... _damn it_." Josephine disappeared and reappeared within moments, "212-555-0934." 

Miranda dialed the numbers into her phone and stared at them for a few long moments, her finger hovering over send. 

"What are you waiting for?" Josephine demanded. 

"God. Were you this pushy in life?" Miranda sent the call and put the phone to her ear, she waited but eventually got her voicemail. "Hello Andrea, it's Miranda." She hoped that her voice sounded soft and maybe even genial, "you've either just recieved some bad news or are about to... either way, please call me. 212-555-8699."

"That's all?" Josephine's eyes were wide. 

"That's _all_." Miranda smirked, "she's going to get that voicemail and she's either going to know what I'm talking about and want to know _how_ I know. If she _doesn't_ know yet she's going to want to know _and_ how I know. So calm down." 

"What now?" 

"Now?" Miranda raised her eyebrows. "Now you go find some way to occupy your time because _I'm_ going to take a bath." 

Josephine shook her head, "I guess I'll go oversee my autopsy."

"The joys of being dead, hm?" Miranda smirked and started up the stairs. 

**

Miranda sunk into the antique claw foot bathtub, with Miranda displacing the water it was only an inch from the brim. The scent of lavender floated into her nostrils, calming her, soothing her frazzled nerves. She was loath to be caught up in the drama and frustration of ghostly communication when she'd gone through incredible lengths to avoid it all. 

She sunk further into the water, dipping her head back until she felt the water touch her forehead, sitting back up and shaking out her hair, throwing the water forward onto the towels that she had already laid out in preparation for her bathtime ritual. 

She liked the headrush and the feeling of the weight of the water being released.

The bath was working already. Miranda was feeling the tightness in her shoulders loosening and her eyes were slipping shut peacefully. 

Her cell phone rang and Miranda stood up, the water falling off her naked body. She grabbed her fluffy white towel, wrapping it around herself, "so much for my relaxing bath..." she shook out her hair again. She picked it the phone, "hello."

"Miranda?" Andy's voice came through the reciever, but her voice was different, more nasal, she'd been crying, "I... got your message."


	4. Chapter 4

Miranda pulled in a deep breath and switched to the other ear. "Did they tell you already?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

Andy sniffed, "yeah," she said softly. "I just came from the police station, I had to... I... had to identify her body." 

"I'm sorry," Miranda whispered sincerely. 

"They told me that you... found her." Andy had to paused again, "when the detective said your name I felt like I'd been hit by a ton of bricks. Not in a bad way. I just... I liked hearing your name again. Does that sound weird?" 

Miranda shook her head, there was a lump in her throat and it took a few moments for her to manage a quiet, "no, it doesn't." 

"And then I saw that you called. I think that you called just when they were telling me about you. Like we were connected in that moment." There was a dull thunk on Andy's end, "okay, now that sounded weird, I know it did. I'm sorry." 

"Andrea," Miranda said soothingly, "don't apologize to me, you just lost your mother." 

There was a pause. "Did I mention it was my mother?" 

Miranda bit her lip and couldn't believe the slip she'd just made. She took a quick moment to gather her thoughts, "the police mentioned that they suspected she was your mother." 

"Oh." Andy replied quietly. 

"Do you... would you like... oh man, I'm bad at this..." Miranda rubbed her eyes, "would you allow me to treat you to dinner? Do you have plans this evening?" 

Andy was silent for a few deafening moments. 

"You have the right to say no." Miranda assured, though she could already tell that it would be a disappointment to her if Andy declined the offer. 

"No, the answer is unequivocally yes," Andy's voice was a bit more jovial. "I was just surprised that you asked me."

"I'm not completely without heart." Miranda smirked.

"I know." Andy said. 

Miranda felt a warmth spread through her body and she realised that she was blushing at Andy's words. "So, shall I pick you up at seven?" 

"Seven is perfect, Miranda." 

"Good." Miranda nodded curtly and hung up. It then occured to her that that was rather unfeeling -- thought completely characteristic -- and wished that she'd said goodbye to the younger woman. She figured that Andy would understand that Miranda was who she was, but wished she had shown a little more compassion for the girl who'd just lost her mother. 

She replayed the conversation over in her mind a few times. The first thing she realized was that she liked hearing Andy speak her name, it sounded somehow sweeter and more genuine. The second thing she realized was that she didn't ask her where her apartment was. 

Before she could give either thought any more of her time Josephine popped in. Miranda held the towel tightly to her body, "do you _mind_?" 

Josephine covered her eyes, "I was just coming to see if you were done with your bath." 

Miranda rolled her eyes dramatically, "and what conclusions did you reach?" 

Josephine scowled at her, chancing looking up, "that you're in a towel and need a few more minutes. I'll come back." 

"No," Miranda snapped, "go downstairs and I'll come down when I'm done. For christ's sake." Josephine hmphed and disappeared. Miranda rubbed her breast above her heart, "if she wasn't already dead, I'd murder her myself..." 

**

Miranda was leaving her bedroom, dressed to the nines and with a white box tied with a big red bow tucked under her arm, when she checked her cell phone. There was a text message, she furrowed her brow in surprise and opened it to see that it was from Andy. _'302 E 86th Street Apartment 316 -- in case you forgot to ask'_

Miranda smiled and tucked the phone back into her pocket, unable to keep the smile off of her face, after two years Andy was still able to predict Miranda's needs. 

Josephine was in the foyer, looking at a newspaper. She looked up when she saw Miranda, "I've read this page eight times, I can't turn it. Maybe next time you think you're going to take an hour getting ready you could turn on a television or something for me." 

Miranda sighed, "you're worse than a two year old." 

"What's in the box?" Josephine's annoyance at Miranda was quickly forgotten upon having her curiousity piqued. 

"It's an empty box." Miranda lied. 

Josephine narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "no, it isn't."

"Prove it." Miranda smirked. 

"It's a present for Andy, isn't it?" Josephine smiled slowly, "what is it? Come on, I want to know. You didn't go out so it has to be something you had... what could you have that Andy would want..." 

"You're ridiculous." 

"Hey, come on. I love a good mystery. There are so few joys in death..." 

"We're going to go see your daughter in half an hour. Is it really more exciting to you to try to figure out what's in the box than it is to see your daughter?" 

"No, of course not, but I don't think you can appreciate how vast and timeless and _boring_ being dead is." Josephine whined, "I've been haunting you for, what? About thirty hours?" 

Miranda mentally calculated and nodded, "about."

"It feels like it's been a week, _at least_ , to me." 

"No, it feels like that to me, too." Miranda drawled, "it feels like it's been a lifetime of annoyance and frustration." 

** 

It took Miranda longer to walk down the street to her parking garage than it took to actually drive to Andy's apartment. Traffic was mercifully light and Miranda found on street parking in front of Andy's building, the doorman opened the door for her and the elevator was waiting as she approached as if fate were laying out a red carpet that led Miranda straight to Andy. 

As Miranda stepped out of the elevator and looked down the hallway, her eyes met Andy's. "I thought you might be early." 

Miranda resisted the urge to smile as she walked down the hall toward her. As she got closer she could see that Andy's eyes were red. Miranda shivered suddenly as Josephine moved through her towards Andy. 

"My beautiful girl," Josephine breathed, reaching out and touching her face. Andy shivered. 

"It's drafty out here." Andy rubbed her arms and looked down the hall at the window. "Would you like to come in?" 

Miranda silently followed Andy into the apartment. Josephine and Miranda both looked around the apartment, Josephine looking much more obviously considering that she was no longer held to social obligations. 

"Damn," Josephine said approvingly as she moved through the apartment. "My girl's doing well for herself." 

"Would I be correct in assuming that you're doing well in your new career? An apartment in the Upper East Side is... impressive." 

"Well, the job at the Mirror is still entry level but I'm doing some freelance writing. Working for you actually taught me that I can afford anything that I really want. There's always a way." 

"At least you managed to retain _something_ from me." Miranda said playfully, smiling reservedly. 

Andy smiled shyly. They remained locked in place, watching each other and lost in thought. Miranda wondered how it was that when she looked at Andy she couldn't manage to feel upset that she had left her, only relief that she had found her again. Miranda did her best to chalk it up to sympathy for Andy for having just lost her mother. 

"I brought this for you," Miranda held up the box. 

"You didn't have to do that," Andy said, etiquette dictating that it would be polite to be humble, but the glint in her eye giving away the fact that she was excited about the gift. She held it in her hand, "can I open it?" 

"I suppose you could leave it in the box, but it would be significantly less useful if you did." 

Josephine hovered over Andy as she pulled the ribbon off of the box. Andy took the top off and pulled out the Chanel purse. Josephine raised an eyebrow in question at Miranda. "That's lame."

"That's vintage Coco. Circa 1969." Miranda was outraged by Josephine's blasphemy but was trying to keep it in check. 

"I know..." Andy looked up at her, "Miranda... this is probably the sweetest thing I've ever been given." 

Josephine scoffed, "took you all of a couple of hours to forget about me, hm? Figures." She turned to Miranda, "don't forget why you're here and it ain't to be giving Andy smelly hand-me-down purses."

"I wanted to convey how sorry I am about your mother," Miranda said, thinking that she was sorry she was dead because if she was alive she'd never have had to meet her... 

Andy looked back up with tears in her eyes. She nodded, wiping at her cheeks, "thank you. Is it... can I...?" Andy stumbled through a couple of sentence starters before just stumbling into Miranda's arms. 

Miranda was stunned and for a moment didn't react. She felt Andy's fingers tighten around handfuls of her blouse and Miranda wrapped her arms around the girl. 

"It means a lot to me that you called and came over." Andy whispered, her cheek pressed tightly against Miranda's. Miranda closed her eyes and leaned into the hug, letting out a soft involuntary sigh. Andy slowly stepped back, releasing Miranda. 

Miranda sucked in a breath, she already missed the feel of Andy's body pressed against her own. 

"I'm sorry," Andy bit her lip, "I know I'm not supposed to touch you, I just... you know... it's no excuse, I know, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." Miranda said simply, offering Andy a small smile. There were a few more moments of silence. "Are you ready for dinner, then?"


	5. Chapter 5

Dinner was quiet and French. Andy didn't want to talk about her mother yet and she knew that Miranda hated small talk. Miranda would have talked more, tried to dispell her stand-offish image -- at least in the current situation -- but Josephine talked incessantly. It was all Miranda could do to concentrate on her food, let alone keep up a conversation. 

Andy was happy with the quiet dinner. She liked being around Miranda, she was still floored by the gesture, she already knew that Miranda could be sweet and thoughtful. Her sitting across the table from Andy in the first place was a much more meaningful gesture than trying to choke out trite small talk. 

"Would mesdames care for a dessert?" The garcon who was trying his best to _sound_ French, smiled at the two women after the dinner dishes had been cleared away. 

Miranda bit the inside of her lip considering the question. "A slice of the German chocolate cheesecake." Miranda said, "two forks. And I'll have a latte." 

"May I have a latte too?" Andy asked the garcon. 

He nodded, "mais oui. I shall return promptly."

Andy smiled, "is the second fork for me?"

"I like to eat cheesecake with _two_ forks." Miranda deadpanned.

"Oh." Andy tried not to look disappointed. 

"I was kidding." Miranda said softly, a smile overtaking her features, causing the smile lines around her eyes to show themselves and the slightest dimple in both cheeks. Andy couldn't help but swoon and then blush bright crimson. 

"I'm dead and you're being coy. Fucking great," Josephine exclaimed, "buying her a sixty dollar meal and making fun of her." Josephine was extremely annoyed at having been completely ignored the entire evening: both by Miranda and by Andrea. 

"Will you excuse me for a minute?" Andy put her napkin on the table and stood up. Miranda nodded and finished her last sip of wine. Andy headed toward the restroom. 

Josephine took over Andy's seat once she was out of it. 

Miranda took her phone out of her pocket and put it to her ear, looking pointedly at Josephine, "leave me alone." 

"You look ridiculous sitting there pretending to talk on the phone." 

"It only looks ridiculous to _you_ because you know you're not on the phone." Miranda whispered. "So listen, I can't talk to you right now because I'm busy." 

"You're busy because of me, don't forget that. Try to focus, would you? You've said all of five words to Andy through this whole dinner. She needs comforting, damnit!"

"This _is_ me being comforting." Miranda insisted. "She's not ready to talk about you. It took me a week to talk about my mother and I pushed away everyone who _tried_ to make me talk about it before I was ready." 

"It's a wonder you ever get anything done. This is going to take forever. I may have eternity, but you only have about thirty years left." 

"If you don't like my methods why don't you find someone else who can talk to you?" Miranda snarled and slipped the phone into her pocket. 

"Don't ignore me!" Josephine yelled, getting up from the seat and walking through the table, "I'm talking to you!" 

Andy came back from the bathroom and as she did the garcon brought their coffees and set the cheesecake in the middle of the table, his hand moving through Josephine. He dropped the cheesecake the last inch, making it clang dully against the sheathed table, pulling his hand back quickly, looking startled. 

Josephine looked offended. "It's not like I can help it," she glared. 

"Thank you," Andy said with a small smile, drawing his attention back and away from the clammy feeling in his hand. 

"Je vous en prie, mesdames." He gave an awkward little bow, "please, let me know if I can do anything else for you." 

He walked away and Josephine stalked after him. Miranda had to fight the urge not to roll her eyes. She had a hard time understanding how Josephine raised Andy and yet had no manners herself. 

Miranda picked up both forks and held one out for Andy, glad that they were finally alone. Andy accepted the fork, "thank you." 

Miranda nodded and let Andy take the first bite. Andy sighed contentedly, letting out a soft mmm of culinary pleasure. Miranda tried not to let the sound get to her. Miranda took a bite of the cheesecake and had to fight the urge to moan. 

Real, dark German chocolate was one of Miranda's weaknesses. She took each bite slowly, savouring the flavour before swallowing. Andy's bites kept pace with Miranda and were somewhat less meticulous. 

They reached the last bite. Miranda looked up at Andy with partially lidded eyes and nodded toward the plate. "Please, have the last bite." 

Andy watched Miranda like she wasn't sure of what she'd just said. 

"This is not a test." Miranda assured her, sitting back and picking up her latte. 

Andy silently ate the last bite and looked up at Miranda. The look shot straight through the older woman, she took a deep breath, hidden behind the porcelain cup. Andy reached for her own cup and Miranda was so distracted by trying to look cool that she missed the slight tremor in Andy's muscles as she lifted the cup to her lips. 

Suddenly there was a crash of dishes. Miranda, startled, looked in the direction of the sound. Josephine appeared in her path, trying very hard to look innocent. "It wasn't me." 

Miranda rolled her eyes. 

They drank the rest of their lattes in silence. Josephine hovered over them without speaking. 

Miranda settled the bill and drove Andy home. Josephine had gotten the hint that there wasn't enough room for her when both seats were occupied so she had opted against riding with them. Miranda pulled up to the curb. 

"Thank you for tonight, Miranda. And the Chanel purse." Andy looked at her. "It's so sweet and... I'm sorry, I won't pontificate any more." 

"You're welcome, Andrea." Miranda liked wrapping her lips around the name and drawing it out slowly. 

They were silent for a few moments before Andy reached for the door handle. 

"Andrea?" Miranda whispered, touching her hand, bringing her attention back.

"Yes?" 

Miranda leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the brunette, holding her tightly. Andy's cheek moved against Miranda's, hugging her back. Miranda gave her a squeeze and let her go slowly. 

The corners of Andy's lips twitched in a small smile. "Would you like to come up?" 

"I... should get home and feed my dog." Miranda bit the inside of her mouth. 

Andy couldn't hide her disappointment but she nodded understandingly, "will you call me?" 

"Yes," Miranda fidgeted with her keys. "I promise." 

**

That night as Miranda laid in bed, she stared up at the ceiling. Unreachable feelings, emotions and sensations running through her mind in a swirl of intangibility. She finally succumbed to exhaustion, her last thoughts were of Andrea as she drifted off. 

**

In the morning, she woke up on her own without any ghostly intervention. When she walked downstairs and entered the kitchen she made a cup of coffee and went up to her study. She sighed when she saw Josephine hunched over the desk. 

"What?" Miranda scowled.

"I'm just reading." Josephine straightened up and turned to Miranda, adding pointedly, "since you didn't leave a television on like I asked."

Miranda ignored the jab and sat down at her desk turning on her macbook. 

"What are you doing today?" Josephine asked, trying to be gentler with Miranda considering she wanted her help. 

Miranda sipped her coffee, "working." 

Josephine nodded, "alright. I guess I'll go see how my husband is holding up."

"The husband you were going to divorce." Miranda smirked. 

"He doesn't know that." 

"But you do. Why are you pretending like you care all of a sudden? Other worldly remorse?"

Josephine sighed, "no, I'd do it again, I wasn't happy in my marriage anymore. But I loved him. Have you never been in love? Don't you know that it never really ends?" 

"Everything ends." Miranda looked up at her, her features tight and sullen. 

"Aren't you bucket of sunshine?" Josephine accused wrly.

"You're not exactly a bouquet of roses yourself." Miranda grumbled. 

"I'm dead. What's your excuse?" Miranda looked up to retort only to find that Josephine had already disappeared. 

"Oh sure, comedic timing is easy when you're transcendental..." 

Miranda spent thirty minutes valiantly trying to work before she realized that she had no hope of focusing any time soon. She eyed her cell phone for a moment before picking it up and spent another couple of minutes contemplating the decision to call Andy. 

The phone vibrated in her hand. Miranda jumped. She opened the text and saw that it was from Leslie, _couldn't keep the story out of the papers. at least its not negative right? mentioned andrea though._ Another vibrating brought the continuation of Leslie's message, _let me know if you want to bring down the hammer on the papers who ran it_. 

Miranda ignored the text messages. She was beyong caring about the press, as long as all they reported was that she found the body and not that she was talking to its ghost in the park, she couldn't care less. 

Before she knew it the phone was ringing and after three rings Andy picked up, "hello?" 

"Good morning, Andrea." 

**

Miranda stepped off the elevator about half an hour later and, just like the night before, Andy was standing in the hall waiting for her. Miranda held up a brown take-out bag from Le Pain Quotidien. "I haven't eaten yet, I figured you hadn't either."

Andy smiled, "I haven't. Thank you for bringing it." She shut the door behind them and grabbed a couple of plates from the cupboard and led Miranda into the rest of the apartment. Miranda hadn't realized that the room beyond the kitchen was the entire rest of the space. There was a table and a couch and then a screen blocked part of the view of the bed. 

Miranda set the bag down and pulled out a paper box that contained two croissants, a tub of plain yogurt, a box of strawberries, two bananas and a box of blueberries. 

Andy smiled, "all this good food, you're going to spoil me." 

"I hope it's something you'll eat." Miranda said, suddenly doubting herself.

"It all looks delicious." Andy went back to the kitchen and brought out bowls, spoons and a knife for fruit cutting. "It's... so sweet." 

"Enough with the 'sweet,'" Miranda scolded teasingly, "I'm the dragonlady and don't you forget it." 

Breakfast started silently. Miranda was thankful for the real silence; the silence that didn't have Josephine running her mouth. After a few minutes, Andy broke into Miranda's thoughts. "I didn't answer the phone when my dad called." 

Miranda looked up at her, Andy was pushing a blueberry around distractedly. Miranda waited for her to continue, not wanting to push her too fast. 

"I didn't know what I was going to say to him, you know?" She looked up at Miranda, who nodded, "I guess I was scared of facing up to it. _Am_ scared of facing up to it... I know that he's going to be really upset and I don't think I can deal with that." 

"You'll have to talk to him eventually." 

"I know," Andy sighed, "but this way I get to decide when I want to talk to him. I don't think I'm going to the funeral."

"No." Miranda said, more forcefully than she intended to. Andy looked up, startled. "I didn't mean to be so adamant, it's just that I've been in this position, Andrea. My mother died three years ago and I didn't go to her funeral because I was still mad at her, I was mad at her for twenty years and I couldn't get over myself long enough to go to her funeral and I've regretted it every day since then." 

Andy's face was sad and sympathetic. "I've been mad at my mother for a long time, too." 

Miranda had suspected as much. Not only because Josephine implied a long feud but also because the times she'd heard Andy telling Emily about visitors her father always came alone. 

"I think that's part of the mother-daughter relationship." Miranda sighed.

Andy nodded, "I believe it. My mother just always wanted more from me. She just always wanted me to work harder or just everything I did was wrong." 

Miranda nodded, "but she was your mother and you loved her."

"I just wished that she'd loved _me_." Andy said quietly.

"Andrea, I can promise you that your mother loved you. I say this to you as a mother that it is impossible not to love one's child. And second, I can't imagine anyone who knows you not loving you." 

Andy hid her modest smile behind a croissant. "I'm sure you're right, Miranda, but I can't imagine facing everything head on like that _tomorrow_. Facing my father, facing my aunts, facing all those nitpicky little criticisms that my mother was so fond of bandying about. You know she used to bitch about how I did the dishes. Like that fucking matters in the grand scheme of things."

Miranda smirked a little, "interesting that you're so mad at your mother for nitpicky criticisms when you're whole tenure at Runway was spent dealing with my nitpicky criticisms and you invited _me_ into your home." 

"You weren't nitpicky for no good reason, though, you know how your magazine runs and what you need from other people to do _your_ best. Just because you're brilliant doesn't mean you could put out the whole magazine by yourself." 

"Maybe your mother didn't think she could run the whole house without you being just so." 

"It's different with your own children. It should be different. Do you treat your daughters the way you treated Emily and I?" 

Begrudgingly, Miranda had to answer, "no." 

"No, you love them and you encourage them and you try to move heaven and earth to make it back in a hurricane to go to their recital." Andy punctuated her sentence with a sharp breath. "My mother never tried nor had the desire to move heaven and earth for me." 

"You'd be surprised." Miranda reached across the table and put a hand on Andy's.

Andy turned her hand over and wrapped her fingers around Miranda's. "I doubt it. Nothing about my mother ever surprises me anymore." 

Miranda knew that this was not the moment to tell Andy that her mother had, indeed, at least transcended time, space and corporeal realness to get to Andy. Maybe Josephine hadn't been very supportive in life but she seemed to be trying to make an effort now that she was dead. Maybe that should count for something.

After a few minutes of hand holding, Miranda took her hand back, pulling out her Blackberry and starting to type. "Andrea, I can get you on a plane to Cleaveland in an hour." 

"I'll only go if you come with me." Andy challenged defiantly. 

It was, indeed, going to be a very long and impossibly inexplicable week.


	6. Chapter 6

The plane touched down half an hour past schedule but otherwise without incident. There had been just enough time for Miranda to run back to her apartment and grab a few articles of clothing and a black Vera Wang dress and when she returned to Andy's, she had just emerged from the building looking around for Miranda's green Porsche. 

They caught a taxi at the airport and arrived at Andy's parents' house in fifteen minutes. Andy used her key to let herself in. "Dad?" 

Richard Sachs came in from the kitchen, "Andy? Oh my god, Andy." He hurried over to her and pulled her into his arms. He'd obviously been crying. "It's so good to see you, princess." 

"You can thank Miranda for that, dad." Andy motioned to Miranda who was still standing in the entryway next to her suitcase. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you were there. I'm not... thinking really clearly, you know?" He held his arms out for Miranda and Andy put her hand on his arm and pushed it down gently. "I'm sorry, I'm just feeling kind of emotional right now."

"I understand." Miranda nodded, trying to avoid looking at Josephine who was sitting on the couch staring up at her in shock. 

Josephine arose from the couch, "can I speak to you for a moment?" 

Miranda sighed inwardly, "is there some place I should put my suitcase?" 

"Oh, of course, I'm sorry." Richard smiled apologetically, "there's a guestroom right back there. I can take that for you, if you'd like." 

"I can manage." Miranda picked up the suitcase and headed into the quaint little guestroom. She shut the door quietly behind her. "Alright, what do you want?" She whispered. 

"You call this working?" Josephine crossed her arms. 

"I had to talk Andy into coming here. She's still holding a grudge against you."

"For _what_?" Josephine demanded. 

"Would you keep your voice down?" Miranda whispered harshly, before biting her lip, "oh yeah... no one can hear you... nevermind, I guess."

"I don't feel right about repeating Andrea, I feel like it's a violation of her trust." Miranda shook her head, "but hey, you have her eulogy to look forward to, right?"

"Very funny." Josephine rolled her eyes, "you should be a comedian." 

"No matter how funny I was I could never be funnier than this quilt." Miranda put her hand on the bedspread, "did you decorate in here?"

"I did, thank you very much." 

"Thought so." Miranda pulled back the corner of the quilt to see the Home Goods tag. "Fake heirloom chic. Absolutely your style."

"If you want to pick a fight with me, Priestly, pick a fight about what you're mad at me about." Josephine glared pointedly, "I know that you're mad at me because of whatever Andy told you."

"It's none of my business." Miranda held up her hands, "I'm an impartial bystander. I've also been in here far too long." 

"Will you help me talk to my family?"

Miranda paused, biting her lip, "we can talk about it later." 

**

Richard, Andy and Miranda went out to dinner that evening where they met up with some friends of Josephine's. A few of them knew who Miranda was because of the articles about her finding the body but the others were unaware and Andy explained, very diplomatically, that Miranda was her former boss. A few of them nodded as though they'd heard stories. 

Miranda remained quiet. Josephine hovered around the table listening to the conversation without interjecting very often. 

When the waiter put down the juicy, bloody filet mignon in front of Miranda, Josephine gawked, "oh christ, I'm dying for a steak!" 

Miranda snorted a chuckle through her nose, effectively ceasing all conversations. Miranda bit inside of her lip, "I just sucked some air down the wrong way." 

"You know," one of Josephine's friends, Carol, at the end of the table smiled sadly, "that reminds me of how Josie used to wait until someone took a bite and tried to make them laugh." 

Miranda smiled a little and glanced up at Josephine. 

**

Once they were back at the house Miranda went into the guestroom and put on a set of silk pyjamas from Prada. She pulled the quilt off the bed, folded it and set it on a chair. She touched the sheets and frowned at the thread count. 

Before Miranda could contemplate going out and getting new sheets a knock came on the door. She opened the door to see Andy smiling at her. "May I come in for a minute?" 

Miranda nodded and stepped back for Andy to enter. 

"I just wanted to say thank you again. It really means a lot to me that you're here. You're making this whole ordeal really bearable." 

Miranda nodded, "people usually bring me to funerals to bring up the mood." 

Andy laughed, "that time I knew you were being sarcastic."

"Was I?" Miranda asked coyly. 

Andy laughed harder, "dragonlady my ass." 

"Well," Miranda shrugged, "even dragons can't breathe fire _all_ the time." 

Andy smiled. "Can I... just...?"

Miranda held out her arms for the ensuing hug but to her surprise Andy pushed her back against the wall, pressing her lips to Miranda's. Miranda moaned, pulling Andy's hips tightly against her own. The kiss deepened and intensified. Andy grabbed Miranda by the waistband of her pyjama shorts and swung her toward the bed. 

Miranda hopped up onto it and Andy climbed over her, straddling her hips, "oh god, Miranda," Andy's hands moved up Miranda's torso to cup her breasts. Miranda moaned and bucked up against her as Andy's thumbs brushed over her hardening nipples. 

Andy leaned back down and captured Miranda's lips hungrily. Miranda buried her hands in Andy's hair. 

"Oh, _hell_ no!" Josephine cried from behind Andy. 

Miranda gasped and pushed Andy off of her to the side, covering her chest with her arm. Her chest heaved and her eyes were wide, locked with Josephine's. 

"Oh my god." Miranda put her hand over heart. "Jesus." 

Andy sat on the bed, looking down at the comforter, feeling guilty and embarrassed. "I'm sorry." She whispered, jumping up and heading for the door. 

"Andrea," Miranda said weakly, not sure what else to say.

"I'll see you in the morning, Miranda, the funeral's at nine." Josephine stepped out of the way so Andy wouldn't step through her. 

"Andrea, wait." Miranda frowned, following. Josephine stepped in front of her, Miranda jumped back, she often forgot that she could move through her and tried to avoid running into her. 

"Don't go after her. We need to talk." Josephine snarled. 

"I don't have to listen to you. You're dead and you're about to be buried. I refuse to be the second woman who disappoints her." Miranda glowered.

"That's a really nice speech but you know I can make your life hell." The two women glared at each other for a few long moments. "I'm not a bigot, Miranda, I don't care if you fuck young girls left and right, I don't care if Andy wants to date a girl, more power to her. But you are not what she needs right now. You have two kids and a really high profile job, where could she possibly fit into that?" 

"Just like Andrea said at her apartment. I taught her that if there's something one wants, one can figure out how to afford it." 

"But how long until you get tired of her? You want her now but how many jackets, shoes, purses, cars, employees, _husbands_ have you gone through? Do _not_ do this to her. Do _not_ be the second woman who isn't good to her. Do _not_ be the next person who disappoints her."

Miranda shook her head, "I'm not going to be. It stops here." Miranda pushed through Josephine, shivering violently but escaping into the warmth of the living room. Miranda wished that she'd put something else on and hoped that Richard was already in bed. 

She only worried for a moment that she wouldn't be able to find Andy's room because when she arrived at the top of the stairs it was obvious from the foam letters that Andy's was the first one on the left. She knocked on it lightly, "Andrea?" 

After a few moments, Andy answered her, "what?" 

"May I come in?" Miranda waited but got no response. She was just about to turn and leave when the door opened slowly. 

Miranda stepped in. Andy kept her head bowed and wouldn't look at Miranda. "Look, I don't need the gentle let down. I get it. I'm sorry, that was impulsive and stupid of me." 

"Andrea, when it comes to words less is more." Miranda leaned in and kissed her. Andy leaned into the kiss, sighing softly. 

"You pushed me away," she breathed. "That hurt..." 

"I was startled," Miranda admitted honestly. Andy kissed Miranda softly, Miranda kissed her back and stroked her cheek. "But... I have to tell you something. I have to be honest with you... it's about your mother." 

"My mother?" Andy furrowed her brow in thought. "You and... is that why she was in your neighborhood?" 

"What?" Miranda didn't understand the question at first and then realized the implications, " _no_. I never met your mother when she was alive."

Andy frowned, "that's such an odd way to put that. Is that a Britishism, or something?"

"No. It isn't. This is really hard to explain and I'm well aware that it's going to sound completely unbelievable, but I implore you to keep an open mind." Miranda started, Andy watched her expectantly. "When I was thirteen, I disappeared for two weeks and I have no idea where I was, there weren't any leads but when I woke up my hair was white and my grandmother was there to comfort me." 

"Why is that hard to believe?" Andy was confused. 

"Because my grandmother had been dead for five years." Miranda bit the inside of her lip, "since then I've done a pretty good job of pretending I see no one, I'm sure you can attest that that skill extends to the living. I was in the office on Friday and I heard someone calling your name and I... looked up. It was your mother." 

Andy furrowed her brow, "okay, Miranda, I'm waiting for the punchline." 

"No punchline, no sarcasm. I'm being completely honest and serious." Josephine joined the two women in Andy's room.

"That's funny because you can't be fucking serious because you're saying that you've talked to my dead mother. _Since_ she's been dead." Andy started to pace the small room. "Which means that you're either being an _asshole_ or you're fucking schizophrenic."

"I... understand your feelings completely. I know that I'm asking you to believe a lot." 

"I don't know why... but I'll give you a chance. Ask her to say something that only she would know." 

Miranda looked over at Josephine. She shook her head, crossing her arms. Miranda sighed deeply and shrugged her shoulders, "she's mad at me, she's not talking to me. First time I've gotten her to shut up in the last few days." 

Josephine stuck her tongue out at Miranda. 

Andy scoffed. "You're pathetic, Miranda. Look, if you don't want to be with me fine, then say it. But don't expect me to believe this." 

Miranda was at a loss, "Andrea, I don't know what to say... on the one hand I wish I'd never met your mother, on the other hand she brought you back to me and I have to be thankful for that. She's really sorry about how she was and she's been harrassing me to make things right with you. Tonight, when you kissed me, your mother interrupted us. Then you ran out and I didn't follow right away because she wanted to talk to me." 

"This is bullshit, I don't have to listen to this." Andy crossed her arms across her chest. "Get out of my room." 

"She didn't want me to be the next woman who couldn't make time for you or the woman to hurt you. She loves you so much, she's staying here because she wants me to tell you that. She wants everything good for you, she couldn't have asked for a better daughter than you." 

"That doesn't sound like my mother." Andy shook her head, her eyes wet with tears. 

"You said you wanted a mother who moved heaven and earth for you, maybe she hasn't moved it but she's foresaking heaven to be here. For you." 

"Damn you, Miranda," Josephine wiped at her eyes, "appealing to my emotion. Damnit, I can't cry!" 

"You don't have a body, how could you produce tears?" 

"Good point," Josephine grumbled. She sighed, "look, tell her that her teddy bear's name was Regenald and she lost him when she was six." 

"You had a teddy bear named Regenald and you lost him when you were six." 

Josephine struggled a little, "and... I'm so sorry, Andy, my girl, I wanted to wash him when you were at school and I spilled bleach on him by accident and I couldn't bring myself to tell you, I wanted to so many times."

"She spilled bleach on him." Miranda said softly. "She was afraid to tell you." 

"It all seems so meaningless now. Tell her she used to fall asleep in my lap watching I Love Lucy on Nick-at-Nite. Tell her that I used to sing Mercedes Benz by Janis Joplin to her as a lullaby. Tell her I'm sorry that I wasn't on her side." Josephine stepped up to Andy, "I just loved you so much and I wanted you to have everything and I pushed you because you were so smart and I know that I pushed you too hard."

Josephine reached forward and touched Andy's cheek. Andy put her hand over Josephine's trying to warm her cheek. "Mom?" 

"She knows she pushed you too hard, she just wanted so badly for you to succeed. She's so proud of you." Miranda took a step closer to Andy. 

Andy put up her hand. "Please," she wiped at her teary eyes, "I need to be alone for a while."


	7. Chapter 7

Miranda couldn't sleep all night. Part of her hoped that Josephine would show up and keep her company; all of her hoped that Andrea would come down. Andrea was the first person she'd ever told about her forsaken ability and it didn't go very well. 

She lay there cursing letting Andrea get close to her because it looked like she could never have her. She cursed ever looking up and seeing Josephine. She cursed waking up after being missing for two weeks, sometimes it felt like it would have been easier if whatever power had taken her hadn't given her back. 

For all the financial and career-related risks she'd taken throughout her life she was always very guarded when it came to emotional matters. Frankly, it seemed that every time she went out on a limb she ended up crashing down. 

As the saying goes, unlucky in love... 

Miranda succumbed to a fitful sleep sometime after midnight and woke up bright and early at five. She put on a pair of brown Versace slacks with a plain white tee shirt and ventured out of the guestroom. The scent of coffee greeted her and she followed it into the kitchen where Richard was sitting with a steaming mug in his hand. 

"Mind if I join you?" Miranda put her hand on the back of one of the chairs. 

Richard nodded towards it, "please. And help yourself to coffee." 

Miranda didn't have to be asked twice. She plucked a mug from the hooks behind the pot and poured the coffee in slowly, tenderly. She sat down across the table from Richard. 

"Couldn't sleep?" Richard asked. 

"I'm an early riser," Miranda sipped her coffee, "two kids. You have to get up before them so they don't wreak havoc." 

"Oh, are they..." 

"They're with their father this week." 

"I'm sorry, divorced?" 

Miranda sighed, "you could say that I'm a repeat offender." 

"My wife and I were having some problems... she lied about going to her mother's. She could have told me she was going to go see Andy..." Richard looked down into his cup. "I feel like she bailed out of a sinking ship. I know that sounds really selfish, like she wanted to die or something. I guess we just weren't so much in love anymore." 

"Someone once told me that love never really ends." 

"That's really nice." Richard smiled. There was a long thoughtful pause, "it's weird that you keep being part of our lives. You were Andy's boss and made her life a living hell. Then you found my wife in the park and you convinced Andy to come and you even came with her. That's really above and beyond. You just... seem so nice." 

"Don't let this fool you. I'm a tough broad to work for." Miranda smirked. 

"Yeah, but why do I get the feeling that there's something different now?" 

"Everybody changes." Miranda wasn't sure she liked the direction of this conversation anymore. "I'm not the same person I was last year, I'm not the same person that I'll be next year. It doesn't _mean_ anything." 

Richard was unconvinced but decided not to pursue it. 

Josephine appeared suddenly. Miranda had stopped being startled by her and just sipped her coffee, nonchalantly looking at her out of the corner of her eye. "Hard to believe I'm never going to drink coffee again." Josephine looked over at Richard, "he and I went to for coffee on our first date when we were undergrads." 

Miranda smiled halfheartedly, looking down into her coffee. 

"Can we talk in a few minutes?" Miranda nodded discreetly and pointed to her coffee. Josephine gave her the okay hand signal, "got it. I'll meet you in the guestroom." 

Miranda finished her coffee and excused herself. Once in the guestroom she saw Josephine looking at the framed pictures on the wall. "Andy and I had a nice long talk last night. By which I mean she talked and I listened. I realized that it was the first time I ever really listened. I never even gave her a chance to talk before."

Miranda nodded sympathetically, sitting on the bed. "Listening hasn't ever been one of my strongest points either."

"Sometimes it's hard to hear it when we've been being assholes even when we kind of _know_ that we've been an asshole." Josephine shrugged. "Would you tell Andy that I heard everything she said last night and that I've always loved her with my whole heart and she's everything I thought she could be and more."

Miranda nodded. 

"I noticed that you have a lot of sketches in your house. You're artistic, right?" 

"The sketches in my office aren't mine." 

Josephine smirked, "no kidding. The other people's signatures kind of tipped me off. I mean the ones in that room with the locked door." 

"You went into the room with the locked door?" Miranda's jaw dropped in annoyance. 

"I had a _lot_ of free time." Josephine tried to look innocent. She continued, "and they have your initials on them so I know they're yours." 

"So, what if they are?" Miranda asked guardedly. 

"There are ledgers in here. In this drawer," Josephine pointed to it, "could you write a letter to my husband in my handwriting? This is the absolute last thing I'll ask from you. Finish the letter and I'll cross over. Can you do it?" 

"Oh man, I can try." Miranda furrowed her brow, "are you not coming to the funeral?" 

Josephine shook her head. "Tell Andy that I love her and give Ricky the letter and that takes care of all of my unfinished business. That's how it works, right?" 

**

Miranda and Josephine spent an hour and a half drafting the letter until it was perfect. Miranda did her best to make the letter look like Josephine's handwriting but not make it look _too pristine_. She wrote his name on the front and stuck her head out of the room.

The living room was empty and a look in both directions convinced her that no one was coming. She stuck the letter under an end table until just the corner was sticking out. 

She went back into the guestroom. "The deed is done." Miranda said, "you're sure he'll see it?"

"Yeah, he's a neat freak. He'll notice it for sure." 

"This philanthropist thing is leaving a sour taste in my mouth. I think I should get breakfast." Miranda moved towards the door, "I don't deal with goodbye very well. Maybe you should just go."

"Okay. I get it. I'm not very good at it either." Josephine said, "but for whatever it's worth, you have my blessing with Andy." 

Miranda turned around and Josephine was gone. Miranda felt oddly upset to know that Josephine wasn't coming back. She remembered being so frustrated and indignant when Josephine first showed up but she'd come full circle. 

**

Andy had been quiet all morning. Neither Richard nor Miranda wanted to push her. Miranda knew that Andy was in a very strange place but hopefully she'd been able to make her peace with Josephine. What she was really unsure about was whether Andy could reconcile the circumstances that brought Miranda back into her life with anything and everything she'd thought before. 

Not that she could say she blamed her. Miranda knew that it was all completely crazy. If the tables had been reversed Miranda would have shut down and blackballed the girl. 

If only she'd managed to go into this thing with a level head and not allowed her feelings for Andy to run so deep. 

Miranda opted to take a taxi, she didn't want to intrude on the family moment. She even considered going straight home but ultimately she decided that she needed to see it through. 

The sun was bright already and Miranda walked into the cemetery decked in her Vera Wang black silk taffeta dress, black Prada sunglasses and her Louboutin Pigalle 120 patent pumps. Miranda recognized Andy's dress as a 2005 season Prada dress but the shoes were clearly Payless. 

Miranda zoned out the priest. Though she wasn't practicing anymore, she felt like a bad Jew for listening to Priests. Miranda looked over at Andy when she walked up to where the priest had been standing. 

When Andy started to sing Mercedes Benz by Janis Joplin Miranda closed her eyes tightly, trying not to cry. She pulled up her sunglasses to wipe her eyes before setting them back on the bridge of her nose. 

The most emotional three days of her life had just drawn to a close. And the curtain was definitely coming down on the thirty-eight years of pretending, lying and keeping anyone and everyone at arms length. 

After the service ended family and friends enveloped the Sachs but Richard managed to sneak out and go over to Miranda, "we're going to go out to eat at Josie's favorite restaurant. I'd like for you to join us if you can." 

Miranda bit her lip, she looked over at Andy -- thankful that the lenses were dark and Richard wouldn't notice her gaze shift. For a moment Andy met her gaze but looked away. 

Miranda's eyes went back to Richard, she shook her head curtly. "No, I have to get back to New York as soon as possible." 

"I understand." Richard offered her a small smile. 

Miranda spared one last glance at Andy before turning and heading back to the cab that had waited for her. "Airport." She said, leaning back in the seat.


	8. Epilogue

A little over a week later, Miranda was walking to Central Park for the first time since the body finding expedition. Two redheaded preteens giggled and ran off with Patricia and the tennis ball. Miranda shoved her hands in her pockets regretting her thin summertime apparel, the air was cool; the humidity had broken. 

Miranda sat on a bench and pulled open her file folder of _Runway_ work. After five minutes of reading the same sheet of notes over and over she realized that she was hopelessly distracted. She looked up in time to lock eyes with Andy. 

Andy had been taking her usual short cut through the park when she saw Miranda's signature white hair. She mentally debated about whether to continue on and risk running into her or to turn back and take the subway closest to her apartment instead of the nature walk. 

As their eyes met, Andy felt her apprehensions melt away. She'd been wary of the whole ordeal since Miranda had told her the extraordinary secret but seeing her again suddenly it didn't seem to make any difference. 

Andy opened her mouth to speak as the twins ran up to Miranda. "Mom, come check this out, we taught Patricia a trick!" Cassidy grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the bench. 

Another week passed by before the lines of communication were reopened. Andy figured that she would wait because it was Miranda's week to have the twins and craziness had ensued for both of them. Andy had been given a big story and the interviews and subsequent follow-ups had proven to be a boon to her career. Miranda had a photoshoot fall apart at the last minute when the city refused to honor her permits. In typical fashion, Miranda triumphed and sent the issue to print on time. 

Her victory had helped her feel like herself again enough to show up at Andy's doorstep one Tuesday evening. Andy was surprised to see Miranda standing there but finally smiled. 

"May I come in?" Miranda asked after a few moments of stunned silence. 

"Sure," Andy stood aside and let Miranda in, closing the door behind her. "I didn't eat yet. Too bad you didn't bring dinner with you." 

"I did eat already." Miranda smirked, "I had a celebratory dinner with Nigel and Emily." 

"Oh." Andy said, not sure how else to respond. 

Miranda's eyes fell on a shadow box on the wall. She smiled warmly, "you didn't put the purse into a shadow box."

"It's vintage." Andy defended.

"It's a purse, you're supposed to put your things in it and carry it around." Miranda looked over at Andy. "But I gave it to you and you can do anything you want with it." 

"That's _right_." Andy grinned, "I'm glad you see it my way." 

"I came over because I wanted to talk about what happened." 

"Yeah." Andy nodded. 

"Your mother crossed over. She wanted me to tell you that she heard everything you said she loves you wholeheartedly and that she's very proud of you." 

"Oh," Andy bit her lip. She'd hoped that Miranda had wanted to talk about what had happened between them. "Yeah, thanks. Thanks for stopping by." 

"There's one more thing." Miranda took a tentative step forward. 

"Yeah?" Andy sucked in a breath. Her heart beat started to quicken, "what's that?"

"Well, there was that night that you came to me and you wrapped your arms around me..." Miranda's fingers played on Andy's sides, Andy leaned into the touch. "...and you kissed me..." Miranda's lips hovered over Andy's.

Andy whimpered, her fingers raked through Miranda's hair pulling her lips against hers. Miranda wrapped her arms around the brunette's torso, returning the kiss with equal fervor. Miranda's hands slid down over her back to grip Andy's ass. Andy moaned against Miranda's lips. 

Andy broke the kiss and grabbed Miranda by the waist of her pants and started to pull her to the end of the apartment. Miranda kept pace to keep Andy from stretching out her Bill Blass. The two women collapsed onto the bed. Miranda swung a leg over Andy's hip, her hand pushing up under her shirt to cup her breast. 

Andy groaned and arched her back into the touch. Miranda pulled the shirt off over Andy's head and made fast work of her bra. Miranda cupped her breast and leaned down to swirl her tongue around the nipple before sucking it into her mouth, drawing out an " _oh god..._ " from Andy. 

Andy's hand slipped past the waistband of Miranda's pants and panties to slip her fingers through the warm wetness she found there. The sound that rumbled from Miranda's throat was nearly enough to drive Andy over the edge. Andy pushed two fingers deep into Miranda. 

"Hold on, hold on." Miranda protested, pulling Andy's hand out of her pants. Andy's eyes widened, unable to believe that Miranda was halting her again. 

" _Why_?" Andy's voice was embarrassingly high pitched, unable to hide her desperation. 

Miranda stood up and pushed the pants and panties off her hips and down her legs, kicking them to the side. She climbed over Andy and took the hand that was already sticky with Miranda's come and pushed down the pinky and the thumb, guiding the remaining three fingers back to her pussy. "Like this." 

"Yes, ma'am." Andy grinned, thrusting hard and deep. Miranda moaned and rolled her hips, bucking wildly with Andy's undulations. "God, Miranda, you're so wet..." Andy moaned, Miranda's come dripping down her arm and dripping onto her stomach as Miranda rode her fingers with everything she had. 

Miranda shuddered, reaching down and gripping the sheets, bucking erratically as she rode out her orgasm before collapsing next to Andy. 

Andy was panting almost as hard as Miranda was. Miranda looked over at the young journalist to see her grinning at her. Miranda laughed, reaching over and covering her eyes with her hand. "That's enough of that smug satisfaction." 

Andy chuckled and reached over to her clothes hamper to grab a towel to mop up the ejaculate on her stomach. "Miranda, I can't help it. The things that your body can do... just oh my god. I just want to do that to you forever." 

"Let's get through a couple of days before we start talking about forever," Miranda pulled her thin Versace blouse off, tossing it into the pile with the Blass pants. She covered Andy's torso with her own, her lips descending on Andy's neck, sucking and nibbling until Andy was thrashing beneath her.

Miranda trailed wet kisses down from her neck to suck on each nipple and lavish attention to each breast. Andy's fingers slipped into Miranda's hair, kneading the scalp as she enjoyed Miranda's attention.

Miranda's tongue trailed down Andy's stomach and she stopped at the waistband of her shorts. Miranda tore them away without hesitation. Andy lifted her hips up off the bed, desperate for Miranda to touch her. Andy's heady scent was intoxicating, Miranda extended her tongue until it came into contact with Andy's clit and she gasped and jerked. 

"Just the reaction I was hoping for..." Miranda grinned against Andy's soft brown curls. Miranda's lips wrapped gently around Andy's sensitive clit and sucked gently. Andy quivered, her fingernails seeking out Miranda's shoulders, gripping as she pushed up into Miranda's face. 

Miranda's pleasureful moans against the soaking wet, sensitive skin was like electrical sparks coursing through Andy until she felt like she was shorting out, riding her orgasm into oblivion. 

Miranda laid next to Andy as the girl recovered. Miranda nuzzled her temple adoringly. Andy opened her eyes eventually and trained them on Miranda. Miranda looked concerned, "Andrea, are you crying? Did I hurt you?"

 

"What? No..." Andy laughed a little, wiping at her eyes, "they're sex tears. Sex makes my eyes water. Ammend that: orgasms make my eyes water." 

"Was that as good for you as it was for me?" Miranda whispered in Andy's ear before taking a little nibble on the lobe.

Andy mmmed, "better..." 

"Oh, I don't think that's possible." Miranda buried her face in the nape of Andy's neck. 

"Not to pull you away from the moment..." Andy bit her lip, "but I have to ask. You wouldn't have sought me out again if you didn't feel something for me, right? This. Us. This... is going to go somewhere isn't it?" 

"I would like it to." Miranda tensed a little, hoping that Andy wasn't having second thoughts.

Andy's fingers massaged Miranda's shoulder gently. Miranda relaxed into the touch, almost cursing the girl for being so in sync with her thoughts and needs. 

Andy smiled, "me too." 

Miranda relaxed even more, saying simply, "good." 

"But also, I have to ask... how does it work? And if that's an offensive question you don't have to answer."

Miranda furrowed her brow. "How what works exactly?"

"The ghost thing." Andy's eyebrows were raised, as if she couldn't imagine how Miranda could think she was talking about anything else. "You know, when you talk to ghosts. Do you see them or just hear them? What do they look like?"

"Oh yes. The ' _ghost thing_.'" Miranda pushed into a sitting position, the lacy LaPerla bra she sported was the only article of clothing left between them. "I don't know exactly _how_ it works. I do see them, I do hear them and they look like they did when they were alive. I sometimes can't tell who's alive and who isn't so I try not to look at anyone." 

"It's so interesting." Andy threaded her fingers through Miranda's, "you could change the way the world thinks of everything." 

"I haven't ever told anyone before and your mother was the first ghost that I actually talked to. I heard your name and I looked up." 

Andy grinned, "that's sweet." 

"What did I tell you about calling me sweet?" Miranda scolded teasingly, throwing her leg over Andy and covering her body. Andy giggled and wrapped her arms around Miranda.


End file.
